dickson



No. 624,63o. Patented May 9,I |8991.

A. A. Dickson. 1

P B E s S (Application led June 6, 1898.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT Orricn.

ARCHIBALD A. DIOKSON, OF TORONTO, CANADA.

PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 624,630, dated May 9, 1899.

t Application filed (lune 6, 1898. Serial No. 682,724. (No model.) n

Be it known that I, ARCHIBALD A. DIcKsoN, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of Toronto, in the county of York and Province of Ontario, in the Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Presses, of which the following is a specification. y

This invention relates to machines for compressing and consolidating such materials as cold dry peat and substances possessing similar characteristics as to resistance and varying density into blocks; andit consists in certain improvements upon or further developments of the press described in my United States Patent No. 613,856, dated November 8, 1898, having for their principal object a material increase in the speed of operation and output of the machine.

The improvements may be said to consist, chiefiy, in the location of the power device between the crank or driving shaft and the forming-dies; in the direct application of the power of asteam-cylinder, piston, and pistonrod to the formers or male dies; in the construction and means of adjustment of the dieblock, the'coustruction of the piston and the. formers, and in other details and combinations of parts, as will be fully set forth in the following description and pointed out in the claims.

For a full comprehension of the invention reference must be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate like parts.

In said drawings, Figure lis a front View,

partly in section, of a vertical press embodyton-rod guide.

ing my invention. Fig. 2 is an end View of the same, partly in section and with parts of the framing broken away, on the line 2 2,Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan taken on the line 3 3, Fig. l.

Fig. 5`is a sectional plan of the die-block and its connections. Fig. 6 is a longitudinal section' of the die-block and its supporting-frame. Fig. 7 is a plan of same,

showing one-half of the retaining-plate. Fig. 8 is a side View of the die-block, showingone means of connecting the die-rods thereto. Fig. 9 is a similar view, but partly in section, illustrating means whereby vertical adjust- Fig. 4t is a plan of the pis-` ment of the die-block upon the tie-rods may be eected. Fig. 10 is an enlarged detail showing one form of male die and its tip; and

is a sectional elevation of a preferred form of 6o piston and piston-rod connection.

The main features of a vertical press constructed according to my present improvement are formers or male dies in rigid connection with the projecting lower ends of the piston-rods of vertically-arranged steam-cylinders, cross-heads and connecting-rods in connection with the projecting upper ends of the same piston-rods, a crank-shaft, (acting as a 4balance and driving-shaft,) bearings 7o therefor independent of the mainframe, and tie-rods extending downward from such bearings and connected to an independent dieblock provided with forming-tubes or` female dies registering with the formers or male dies,

such tie-rods also intermediately supporting `the steam-cylinders, cross-head and pistonrod guides and being stayed in the main frame. The formers or male dies serve to impart a vertical compression to charges of material 8o successively gravitating into the upper ends of the forming-tubes or female dies by successive strokes, each stroke forming a block upon the yielding base offered by the blocks previously formed and remaining within the female-die member, a'single resistance-block being inserted Yat the commencement of the operation in order to prevent the first charge ofloose material from'falling out at the lower end and so as to aiford a base for the forma- 9o tion of the first condensed block. The alter- `nate action of a pair of formers results in the formation of a new block within the upper tents thereof having a forward progression) and the gravitation at the same time of a fresh charge lof 4material between the other ypair of die members readyifor compression roo as the first-named former recedes.

` A A are two legs (preferably of channeliron) forming the main frame, serving to carry `the dead-weight and to stay and steady the operative parts, these legs having bolted thereto or otherwise formed thereon any suitable number of clamps a ct for steadying and supporting the dead-Weight of the tie-rods hereinafter mentioned.

B is a crank-shaft located at the head of the machine, carrying two fly-Wheels b l), one on each extremity, and formed with two cranks b and b2, the pins of which carry the upper ends of connecting-rods C C', which are pivoted at their lower ends to cross-heads c c', working in proper ways in a guide-bar D, supported by clamps d engaging the three rear tie-rods to be presently described, as seen in Figs. 2 and 3.

Bearings E, E', and E2 are provided for the crank-shaft, the two former being situated outside. of the cranks and close to the flywheels and the latter being located midway between the cranks. These three bearings are preferably yoked'by a crown-piece E3 (indicated by dotted lines in Fig. l) and are entirely independent of the main frame or legs, being supported at their under sides by means of collars or enlargements ff f2 one on each'of three pairs of vertically-arranged tie-rods F F F2, passing through both lower and upper parts of said bearings and having threads and nuts upon their upper ends to hold the journal-sections firmly and closely together. These tie-rods extend downward from the bearings to within a short distance from the Hoor-base of the machine and besides being clamped at any required number of points a a to the legsA A to steady and support the parts these rods pass through eyes g g g2 in the die-block G, (in which are located the formingetubes or female dies, as hereinafter speciiied,) being provided with collars, threads, and nuts similar to those on their upper ends, as .shown in Figs. l, 2, and 8, for effecting the firm support of the dieblock, or when it is desired that the die-block may be capable of vertical adjustment the threads may be extended or increased and nuts g3 g3 be placed thereon to bear both upon the upper and lowerfaces of the die-block G, as seen in the modification, Fig. 9.

I-I H are two steam-cylinders arranged intermediately of the cross-head guide-bar D and the die-block G, being held in position by the three pairs of tie-rods which pass through brackets cast upon said cylinders and afford support and steadiment therefor through the medium of collars and nuts on said rods, all as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3.

In every case where I have shown integral collars upon the tie-rods it will be understood that I may substitute threads and nuts with corresponding effect.

. The cylinders H andl II/ have brackets h3 h3, engaging the tie-rods, as shown in Figs. l, 2,v and 3, being supported by the collars 5c and retained by the nuts on said rods. These cylinders have any suitable type of pis-l tons I and I', connected to the piston-rods J and J', respectively, such as the sin gle-piece piston, havingthe retaining-nuts shown in Figs. l and 2, but as the minimum length of cylinder and Weight of metal and the greatest possible rigidity and security of fastening are so desirable in/a machine of this class I prefer to adopt the construction shown in Fig. 12. Here the piston-rod is provided with an integral collar j, and the piston is made in two longitudinal pieces, with close meeting faces and each havinga proper peripheral packingring j and a ground recess (or enlargement and terminating below in formel-s or male dies K andK, respectively. These latter are provided with hardened tips k, the shanks of which are preferably recessed in the former ends and firmly secured therein by one or morescrews k.

To vary the length of stroke between the 'male and female die members, instead of adjusting the die-block, as before premised, and illustrated in Fig. 9, I may have interchangeable tips of different lengths, as sug gested bythe dotted lines in Fig. 10, or I may recess the former end somewhat more than is necessary for the normal length of tip-shank and increase the distance from the former end proper at which the tip 7a projects by inserting extra plates k2 and k3 between the members, and, if necessary, slot the shank to receive the retaining-screw 7o', all as shown in Fig. 1l.

By preference I provide the piston-'rods Awith guides Z Z, formed in a single bracket or plate L, having clamps Z2 l2, engaging, say, four of the tie-rods F F', as seen in Figs. l, 2, and 4, and thus insure proper alinement at all times of the male and female dies.

I have not deemed it necessary to fully illustrate the steam-chests, valves, and cylinders and their respective ports and connections, although in Fig. l I indicate valve-eccentrics m m on the bosses of the fly-wheels b h and valve-rods n n, connected thereto and broken off, it being understood that the construction, arrangement, and operation of these wellknown instrumentalities may be varied according to judgment and engineering skill Without prejudice to principle.

As before stated, the die-block G is supported entirely by the tie-rods F, F', and F2, the tensile strain being through their centers from the point from which the force is delivered-z'. e., the crank-shaft-to the point of resistance, which will be the formed mass of IIO blocks within the forming-tubes or female dies of the die-block. This die-block maybe made in one solid piece bored at corners and sides to receive the tie-rods and. have the forming-tubes or female dies bored directly therethrough, as shown in Figs. l and 2, as such a construction would embody every es sential principle of my invention; but I prefer to adopt the construction shown in detail in Figs. 5, G, 7, and 8, as this will facilitate the ready adjustment and centering of the female dies with the formers. In this arrangement G will indicate the die -block proper, preferably cast in one piece and having two forming-tubes or female dies O and O therein, (adapted to register with the formers or male dies K and K before described,) these female dies being of course provided with proper hardened-steel bushings (not shown) the internal diameter of which will be the same from top to bottom, so that the material to be consolidated will not receive any lateral compression after it has been set into a block by the initial vertical stroke of the former or male die; and, furthermore, as the entire work is to be done by a cold operation and to keep down frictional heat I prefer to form one or more water-channels w in the interior of the die-block, so that a continuous fiow of cold water maybe kept up around the molds, w and fm2 being the inlet and outlet pipes, respectively. This die-block Grests upon an internal flange m of a supportingframe M, which in turn is firmly supported by the three sets of tie-rods F F F2 and the nuts and collars arranged above and below said frame, as shown in the last-named figures of the drawings. at one side, as in Fig. 5, to permit the waterpipes to pass into the die-block proper, and

said frame is also tapped on all four sides to receive any suitable number of adjustingscrews p p, wherebythedie-block G (which does not entirely fill the frame L) may be conveniently moved horizontally to insure the proper registration of the female dies O O..

with the male dies K K above. I prefer also to adj ustably secure a covering-plate Q, having openings to register with the dies,l to the upper side of the frame L by means of studs q q, as seen clearly in Figs. 6 and 7, to keep the intermediate space clear.

Other means of centering and adjustment may be employed according to judgment; also, the other various details of construction and arrangement of parts of the machine may be modified Without departing from the principle or sacrificing-the advantages of the invention. j

I have not illustrated any means of feeding the material to the dies, but may state that I prefer to employ separate hoppers or chutes for the two dies of sheet metal arranged immediately above the die-block and so arrange the feed that the material may gravitate between the die members in successive charges in the manner previously stated.

The frame is slotted The theory of operation of the above-described press willrbe readily understood byreference to the drawingspbut I will now brieiiy explain its practical working, meanwhile premising that it will be 'the same whether the m achine stands vertically or horizontally, and the only differences necessary in the arrangement of parts will be in the mounting of the drivingand pressingmechanism, so as to sustain the dead-weight, and the substitution of a cross-feed for the vertical feed of material described, the pressing operation and distribution and direction of working strain being identical in both cases. Steam being admitted to one-cylinder, the movement of its piston, cross-head, and connecting-rod causes the crank-shaft and flywheels to revolve and t-he valves to move and bring the other cylinder into operation as well. Then the pistons proceed to work in opposite directions,impartingsuch movement to the foriners or male Adies that one will be exercising the formative pressure upon one charge of material in one tube while the other is receding and another charge ot` material is falling to the mouth of the other tube. When the tubes are fully charged, which becomes the case after `a few strokes of both formers, one new block is formed at the upper end of each tube against the yielding resistance offered by the previously-formed blocks still remaining therein, and one finished block (or more, according to the thickness of the blocks, which varies according .to

IOO

differences in density of the raw material) is stroke of its former. i, In the machine most suitable for cold dry `peatthe total length of forming-tube may be placed at twelve inches and the actual entrance stroke of the former limited to five inches, and as the stroke of the piston will be fourteen inches and the travel of the crank twenty-eight inches it will Abe seen that in the double press I have described the whole IIO power of both cylinders is transmitted through y the crank-shaft and imparted to each block formed, twenty-three inches of travel being free from resistance in each engine, while its companion comes into play midway of the others travel, and thus does not impair the speed of operation of the double machine.

Another feature of importance in this press and giving a material advantage in pressing peat and other materials which have like variations in density is the absolute certainty of the stroke being always of the same length. The result of this is that though the blocks formed may sometimes differ in length, (which is not objectionable in peat fuel,) they will always receive the same compression against the yielding resistance,and will consequently be evenly solid,` a quality highly desirable in this product. The set of the cranks and their ran gem ent insures the coperation of one cylinder with the other during the operation. Again, the construction described affords ready means of adapting the machine for use with diiferentclasses of peat, a material which is shown to vary largely in texture, the products of some bogs being more fibrous and looser than others Where the decomposition is more thorough or the origin of formation differs, so as to affect the homogeneity of the mass. The adjustment of the die-block or of the former-tips provides for such variations.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is as follows:

l. In a press, the combination with amain frame for carrying the dead-weight and staying the parts, of a main shaft having a crank and fly-wheel, journals and bearings therefor independent of the main frame, a connecting-rod and cross-head inl operative connection with the crank, a steam-cylinder having its piston-rod projecting therefrom at both ends, one end of said piston-rod being connected to the cross-head, and the other end of said piston-rod left free to act as a former or male die, a die-block having a formingtube or female die therein, and tie-rods connecting the crank-shaft bearings and the dieblock in such manner that each may afford support to the other in the line of working strain, substantially as and for the purpose.

set forth.

2. In a press, the combination with a main frame for carrying the dead-Weight and staying the parts, of a crank-shaft provided with two cranks, journals and bearings therefor independent of the main frame, connectingrods and cross-heads in operative connection with said cranks,steam-cylinders having their piston-rods projecting therefrom at both ends, said piston-rods forming connection with the cross-heads at one end and terminating in formers or male dies .at the other end, a dieblock having forming-tubes or female dies therein, and'tie-rods connecting the crankshaft bearings and the die-block so that each may afford support to the other in the line of working strain, said tie-rods also intermediately supporting the steam-cylinders, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

3. In a press adapted to form a succession of blocks against a yielding resistance, the combination with a suitably-journaled main shaft and means for imparting motion and power thereto, of formers or male dies in operative connection with said main shaft, a die-block having forming-tubes or female dies therein registering with said formers or male dies, tie-rods between the main-shaft journals and the die-block arranged so that e'ach vshall support the other in the line of working strain, and means whereby the length of stroke between the male and female die meinbers may be regulated, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

4. The combination with driving mechanism and supports, of the formers or male dies, the die-block having forming-tubes or female dies therein, the frame supporting said dieblock, means for adjusting said die-block in said frame, and tie-rods connect-ing said supporting-frame with supports of the driving mechanism, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. The combination of the die-block G having female dies 0, O, and water-channel w therein, the supporting-frame Lhaving flange Z, adjusting-screws p, and covering-plate Q, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

Signed this 2d day of June, 1898.

ARCHIBALD A. DICKSON.

Witnesses:

RoBT. A. KELLOND, E. J. CHEEKLEY. 

